Smokin' Joe
QCup Player
- Dec 11, 2013
- 789
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I never said he was out for the year :)
I never said he was out for the year :)
G
Gupps01
U18 Player
- Jun 3, 2012
- 21
- 6
Agree with all but point three. One of the S&C staff is the best in the country at what he does, had been there for nearly 20 years and has the data to show what his programs involve work extremely well. 95-100+% maintenance of strength and power through 26-30 weeks is an extremely difficult task and he did it every year. I agree the fitness levels weren't good but that's an easy fix. With the methods that Guilfoyle used you need a very high base level of aerobic conditioning to begin with, which means volume. Once you have that base though, the high intensity stuff is great. It works in many sports, it just needs that base of volume to begin with.
Porthoz
International Captain
Senior Staff
- Feb 27, 2010
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You may be right Gupps, but the Corvo hire is definitely still an upgrade. The Storm has always been one of the best prepared teams physically throughout the whole season, and even when they do have a low, it generally doesn't last too long... Excellent programming imo!
G
Gupps01
U18 Player
- Jun 3, 2012
- 21
- 6
Not disagreeing about Corvo. You don't get to become an NRL level strength and conditioning coach without knowing what you are doing and he is certainly very good. From what I understand, his strength program is actually very similar to the previous one. It's the conditioning that will/has change. Also people forget the amount that a head coach has influence over the fitness side of things. For example, the now former Perth Glory coach didn't believe in traditional conditioning believing that the players should gain fitness through small-sided games. We all have seen how that's gone.
To say the previous S&C coaches were useless is a step to far.
Foordy
International Captain
Contributor
- Mar 4, 2008
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i might have been a bit harsh saying out old fitness coach was useless ... but i certainly wasn't, imo, when i said that our fitness was a disgrace... our poor fitness most likely was the reason we were poor at the end of the halves
broncos4life
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Oct 5, 2011
- 26,396
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The strength and conditioning coach is responsible for strength and conditioning. If fitness is down across the park that's his responsibility
ivanhungryjak
State of Origin Rep
Contributor
- Sep 8, 2009
- 7,697
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@chrisgarry1: Broncos teenage halfback prodigy Ashley Taylor will be out for minimum five months following shoulder surgery.
Grimmiq
NYC Player
- Apr 3, 2013
- 247
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Even if he's ready middle of next year, I'd rather he spends the rest of it in QCup. If Hunt doesn't work out in 2014, partner him with Milford in 2015.
Danoz Direct
NRL Captain
- Oct 12, 2013
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Still a shame though, I am just wondering where he would fit in if Hunt and Milford do well in 2015.
Danoz Direct
NRL Captain
- Oct 12, 2013
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Grimmiq
NYC Player
- Apr 3, 2013
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Find it a bit funny that with questions looming over Kennedy's involvement with the peptides drama..that they use the phrase "Injection of muscle".
Sproj
Immortal
Senior Staff
- Sep 6, 2013
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Haha yeah
broncos4life
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Oct 5, 2011
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I would say that is a very poor choice of words
Fozz
International Captain
Senior Staff
- Mar 4, 2008
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I'm getting excited, bring on the 9s and the pre-season trials!
GCBRONCO
International Captain
- Mar 4, 2008
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http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...brisbane-broncos/story-fniabjcr-1226788046721
Ben Hunt trains with the Broncos. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Limited
IN THE high stakes poker game that is the battle to be Brisbane's halfback, Ben Hunt is the one man left sitting at the table with all the chips.
And that is no surprise, given he is not only a grinder but one of the few teenagers to stare down a threat from Wayne Bennett and come out on top.
Hunt was entering his final year at St Brendan's College in Yeppoon when then Broncos coach Bennett requested the teenager, who the club had on scholarship since he was 13, move to Brisbane immediately.
"We both said no, that won't happen," Hunt's father Geoff said.
"He is not missing his senior year with the mates he grew up with all his life.
"(Bennett) didn't threaten us but more or less said they could cut his contract.
"I said 'Wayne, you do what you want to do but I'm not taking that away from the kid, because I've been through it and I know what it means to him'."
"So they flew him down once a week, every week, to train that year. That is when Wayne chose to say he is going to play seven, because he had never played seven until then.
"That is how he got to become a seven because Bennett wanted him to become a seven at school."
Hunt is finally in a position to permanently wear the No.7 jersey that Bennett earmarked him for seven years ago. After a 2013 season that was one of the most difficult of his career, falling behind Peter Wallace, Corey Norman and new recruit Scott Prince in the battle for a halves spot, Hunt can now see the light.
All three positional rivals have left the club and former under-20s player of the year Hunt is left as the man to carry the Broncos forward.
Hunt is so committed to the challenge that, for the first time, he tipped the training scales under-weight after giving up alcohol leading into Christmas.
"It was a bit frustrating at times last year," he said.
"I wanted to be in the halves since I've been at the club and I was just getting frustrated last year more than any other years," he said.
"But the club did sign some other players and I know it made me want to work harder to be in those positions.
"This year, getting a full pre-season in the halves, hopefully I can just keep developing my game and become a consistent first-grade starter in the halfback position.
"I got in trouble (this month), I was a couple of kilograms under-weight. I don't think I've ever been told I was under-weight before - a couple of years ago I came back and was told I had to lose about six kilograms.
"I feel it's a good thing. I guess it's a sign I've lost fat and I just need to put back on muscle and get to a good weight."
"I've decided from the preseason to Christmas I was going to get off the drink for a while, just put the head down and get stuck into it."
Raised in a town called Dingo, 90 minutes west of Rockhampton, Hunt enjoyed an active childhood.
A thrill seeker who enjoyed riding motorbikes, horses and bulls, Hunt was about six when he had his first accident and slammed headfirst into a gum tree near a railway line.
By 10 he was keen to ride bulls, until his dad put him on a "big one".
"He thought he was a gun bull rider until then," Geoff laughed.
"That sorted him out, he didn't want to ride a second one."
Growing up in the country Hunt learnt the value of a hard day's work.
After school usually was a trip to the family's 320 hectare 800 acre property to build and repair fences, a chore Ben still has when he travels home for holidays in his "off-season".
"I think last time he came home we cemented 70 posts in and he mixed all of it by hand in the mixer," Geoff said. "I got my worth out of him."
This off-season, there was a difference. Ben awoke every day with a spring in his step for a morning training session and kept to a strict diet.
"I've never seen him so committed," Geoff said.
"I know he has been doing a lot of extras … myself and my wife could notice the difference, how much more committed and intense he was."
As much as Ben gained a strong work ethic on the farm, nothing could have prepared him for life as a Bronco.
A regional sprint champion in his younger years, Hunt was told he was too slow on his first camp with the Broncos. At 14, he got the chance to join first-grade training and finished doubled over in exhaustion with Shaun Berrigan in his ear.
"It was a pretty big shock really, the first time I got asked to go to a camp. I didn't really know what it was or what to expect," he said.
"I was just in awe ... We trained one session with the first-grade squad and it was the best thing I've ever done in my life.
"I was so grateful just to get that opportunity to do that.
"We ended up doing the conditioning session with first grade and we had to jump into the back end of it. We were about halfway through the bit we had to do and were missing lines and Shaun Berrigan absolutely sprayed us, he just unloaded.
"I thought 'geez I don't want to be part of this any more'."
Nearly a decade since that camp, Hunt is one of the leaders at Broncos training, setting the pace whilst Brisbane's World Cup heroes were away.
He has had a rollercoaster run but only needs to look at good mates Jharal Yow Yeh or Jordan Kahu, and their struggles with injury, to realise how fortunate he has been.
Barring injury, Hunt will play his 100th NRL game next year and will ideally lead the Broncos back to the finals after their worst season.
"I've been extremely lucky - a lot of times there I shouldn't have been in the team, I wasn't playing good football," he said.
"Hopefully this year I can take it to another level."
Ben Hunt trains with the Broncos. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: News Limited
IN THE high stakes poker game that is the battle to be Brisbane's halfback, Ben Hunt is the one man left sitting at the table with all the chips.
And that is no surprise, given he is not only a grinder but one of the few teenagers to stare down a threat from Wayne Bennett and come out on top.
Hunt was entering his final year at St Brendan's College in Yeppoon when then Broncos coach Bennett requested the teenager, who the club had on scholarship since he was 13, move to Brisbane immediately.
"We both said no, that won't happen," Hunt's father Geoff said.
"He is not missing his senior year with the mates he grew up with all his life.
"(Bennett) didn't threaten us but more or less said they could cut his contract.
"I said 'Wayne, you do what you want to do but I'm not taking that away from the kid, because I've been through it and I know what it means to him'."
"So they flew him down once a week, every week, to train that year. That is when Wayne chose to say he is going to play seven, because he had never played seven until then.
"That is how he got to become a seven because Bennett wanted him to become a seven at school."
Hunt is finally in a position to permanently wear the No.7 jersey that Bennett earmarked him for seven years ago. After a 2013 season that was one of the most difficult of his career, falling behind Peter Wallace, Corey Norman and new recruit Scott Prince in the battle for a halves spot, Hunt can now see the light.
All three positional rivals have left the club and former under-20s player of the year Hunt is left as the man to carry the Broncos forward.
Hunt is so committed to the challenge that, for the first time, he tipped the training scales under-weight after giving up alcohol leading into Christmas.
"It was a bit frustrating at times last year," he said.
"I wanted to be in the halves since I've been at the club and I was just getting frustrated last year more than any other years," he said.
"But the club did sign some other players and I know it made me want to work harder to be in those positions.
"This year, getting a full pre-season in the halves, hopefully I can just keep developing my game and become a consistent first-grade starter in the halfback position.
"I got in trouble (this month), I was a couple of kilograms under-weight. I don't think I've ever been told I was under-weight before - a couple of years ago I came back and was told I had to lose about six kilograms.
"I feel it's a good thing. I guess it's a sign I've lost fat and I just need to put back on muscle and get to a good weight."
"I've decided from the preseason to Christmas I was going to get off the drink for a while, just put the head down and get stuck into it."
Raised in a town called Dingo, 90 minutes west of Rockhampton, Hunt enjoyed an active childhood.
A thrill seeker who enjoyed riding motorbikes, horses and bulls, Hunt was about six when he had his first accident and slammed headfirst into a gum tree near a railway line.
By 10 he was keen to ride bulls, until his dad put him on a "big one".
"He thought he was a gun bull rider until then," Geoff laughed.
"That sorted him out, he didn't want to ride a second one."
Growing up in the country Hunt learnt the value of a hard day's work.
After school usually was a trip to the family's 320 hectare 800 acre property to build and repair fences, a chore Ben still has when he travels home for holidays in his "off-season".
"I think last time he came home we cemented 70 posts in and he mixed all of it by hand in the mixer," Geoff said. "I got my worth out of him."
This off-season, there was a difference. Ben awoke every day with a spring in his step for a morning training session and kept to a strict diet.
"I've never seen him so committed," Geoff said.
"I know he has been doing a lot of extras … myself and my wife could notice the difference, how much more committed and intense he was."
As much as Ben gained a strong work ethic on the farm, nothing could have prepared him for life as a Bronco.
A regional sprint champion in his younger years, Hunt was told he was too slow on his first camp with the Broncos. At 14, he got the chance to join first-grade training and finished doubled over in exhaustion with Shaun Berrigan in his ear.
"It was a pretty big shock really, the first time I got asked to go to a camp. I didn't really know what it was or what to expect," he said.
"I was just in awe ... We trained one session with the first-grade squad and it was the best thing I've ever done in my life.
"I was so grateful just to get that opportunity to do that.
"We ended up doing the conditioning session with first grade and we had to jump into the back end of it. We were about halfway through the bit we had to do and were missing lines and Shaun Berrigan absolutely sprayed us, he just unloaded.
"I thought 'geez I don't want to be part of this any more'."
Nearly a decade since that camp, Hunt is one of the leaders at Broncos training, setting the pace whilst Brisbane's World Cup heroes were away.
He has had a rollercoaster run but only needs to look at good mates Jharal Yow Yeh or Jordan Kahu, and their struggles with injury, to realise how fortunate he has been.
Barring injury, Hunt will play his 100th NRL game next year and will ideally lead the Broncos back to the finals after their worst season.
"I've been extremely lucky - a lot of times there I shouldn't have been in the team, I wasn't playing good football," he said.
"Hopefully this year I can take it to another level."
Last edited:
Splinter
NRL Player
- Feb 16, 2013
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We hope you can too, Ben
Broncoman
State of Origin Rep
- Oct 9, 2011
- 7,691
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Best of luck Ben we're all behind you mate. Pretty awesome name for a town 'Dingo'.
Allo
International Rep
Forum Staff
- Sep 28, 2012
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It's funny after reading all that, you could assume that in a parallel universe where Wayne hadn't left, Wallace may never have gotten that 2nd contract and Hunt would've been our regular halfback for the past 3-4 years with about 60-80 of those 89 games of his at no. 7 (you could argue Norman would still be here too as Prince may never have come. Though Wayne does like his 'old players').
While Norman was around I honestly never cared what happened with Ben. (I'd heard the rumours of him going to Newcastle, which given the Bennett connection, would've made sense). It was great when they played together (Canberra game 30-6), but if forced I'd have stuck with Norman (I still believe he has the physical skills to be great, just a question of whether he has the heart and mind to go with it). Ben hadn't impressed me in his int hooking role, which I'll admit was quite unfair as he's not a genuine hooker or x-factor like a Segeyaro. We always conceded points which I blamed him for as he was the reason Macca was off.
I'm glad he has stuck around though, especially when I thought he'd go after the end of last/this season from getting stuffed around for at least 2 years. He wants to be here and he has showed glimpses in his short 7 career of what he can offer. I can already tell he's going to be a much more exciting player to watch than our last halfback ...
While Norman was around I honestly never cared what happened with Ben. (I'd heard the rumours of him going to Newcastle, which given the Bennett connection, would've made sense). It was great when they played together (Canberra game 30-6), but if forced I'd have stuck with Norman (I still believe he has the physical skills to be great, just a question of whether he has the heart and mind to go with it). Ben hadn't impressed me in his int hooking role, which I'll admit was quite unfair as he's not a genuine hooker or x-factor like a Segeyaro. We always conceded points which I blamed him for as he was the reason Macca was off.
I'm glad he has stuck around though, especially when I thought he'd go after the end of last/this season from getting stuffed around for at least 2 years. He wants to be here and he has showed glimpses in his short 7 career of what he can offer. I can already tell he's going to be a much more exciting player to watch than our last halfback ...
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